BIM update: December

A new initiative has been created to provide consistent product data templates. This initiative is supported by the Construction Products Association (CPA), BIM4M2, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and NBS. The initiative will enable manufacturers to prepare their product information ready for the Government’s April 2016 BIM deadline. To help understand the needs of building product manufacturers, both those offering BIM and not, and to develop the support the industry needs BIM4M2 are asking for feedback. Please complete the group’s online survey. In appreciation you will get a discount code of £45 off the purchase price of Competitive Advantage’s latest report ‘Adoption of BIM by Architects’ priced at £350 + VAT.

The report BIM Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2015 – 2022 shows that the global BIM market in 2014 was worth $2.76bn and is expected to grow to $11.54bn by 2022, with North America being the largest market for BIM in 2014. Building Magazine reports that the number of workers using BIM has increased to 66% in 2015, up from 52% in 2014. The same survey indicates an increase in businesses adopting BIM, with 32% of the respondents saying they have implemented level 2 BIM.

The Electrical Contractors Association found in their recent survey that the majority of building services SMEs are not ready for BIM. Some further background, to help understand the contractors’ perspective, is provided in an article by David Mitchell reviewing the ROI of BIM for Contractors and Sub-Contractors.

The latest edition of BIM Today has been published. In this month’s edition Peter Hansford, chief construction advisor, looks at the adoption of BIM over the last 5 years and talks about the 3 key areas that has allowed the UK to become a leading authority. Our own Chris Ashworth talks about how manufacturers support BIM by discussing the results of our recent survey Adoption of BIM by Architects. Vital reading for any manufacturer, the report indicates how architects are implementing BIM, their requirements in terms of proprietary software, COBie, Product Data Templates and the use of Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). There is also feedback on the stage of the design process that they change from placeholder to manufacturer object. Ian Chapman from the NBS and Tom Murphy of David Miller Architects recently hosted a webinar aimed at manufacturers wanting to know more about BIM. A video of the webinar giving an introduction to BIM and how it works in practice is now available.